A delegation of Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF), a collective of mining ban-affected workers, truck and barge operators, on Sunday met BJP national president Amit Shah in New Delhi to press for resumption of mining in Goa.
The ban by the Supreme Court was announced in February last year.
In a statement issued here after the meeting, the Front said that Mr. Shah had said that a “solution to the impasse shall be brought about soon by the Central Government”.
South Goa MP Narendra Savoikar who was also present at the meeting, said that the delay in finding a resolution to the mining crisis, was because the Centre was considering all legal aspects.
“Our president has assured every body, particularly mining dependents, that the government has come to a conclusion and will come out with a mechanism soon too,” Mr. Savoikar said.
The Front has been agitating for quite some time as a large number of people have been badly affected.
Last week, members of the Front laid siege to the private residence of Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar and demanded that all three Goa BJP MPs resign if they cannot help resolve the mining crisis.
The GMPF, led by BJP’s Puti Gaonkar, had expected that the NDA government at the Centre would come out with an ordinance or an amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in the recently-concluded winter session of the Parliament so mining activities can be resumed in the State.
The Supreme Court struck down second renewal of 88 iron ore mining leases in March last year, while also directing the State government to re-issue mining leases following appropriate procedure and law.
